Sencha

Tea: Sencha
Vendor: Sugimoto USA
Price: $16.00 / 80 g.
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Sen cha "Experience" mainly consists of young baby leaves reaped in spring. During winter,tea plants absorb abundant nutrition from rich mountain soil, so spring shoots have deep body and flavor in a cup. Experience the strong sweetness and rich flavor.

Leaf: The leaf has a very matte color to it, and consists of primarily small pieces. I found this rather surprising considering most teas I find that I enjoy have larger pieces and a shinier glossy appearance to it. The leaf consists of a very apparently blend of different shades of green though. It was apparent that lots of work and effort had gone into making this blend.

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a slightly murky color to a yellow green color to it. The flavor was amazingly strong and sweet. It was like a very impressive yutaka midori. There was a very light bitterness to the flavor which was a nice counterpoint to the sweetness, but not overpowering. Similarly there was a very light astringency to the tea as well, a nice counterpoint to the sweetness as well. This tea has a very good clean feeling to it.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had an even darker color to it, it as almost a murky dark brown-green color. This time it had a medium sense of bitterness, but yet retained the strong sweetness of the first infusion.

Rating: 10/10

Conslusion: I was rather curious about the teas from Sugimoto after I had heard that their genmaicha had won the best flavored/blended tea category at the World Tea Expo this year. I had never heard of them previously and so I looked them up. Much to my surprise they have an offering of only 3 teas. This Sencha was the first that I tried, and it is absolutely superb. I have also tried this tea as a cold brewed iced tea, and the sweetness was amazing in that as well. I really enjoyed this one.

Uji Sencha Miyabi Shincha - Day 1

Tea: Uji Sencha Miyabi Shincha
Vendor: O-cha
Price: $27.95 / 100g
Source: Uji, Japan
Vendor Description: From the 2008 harvest and currently in "shincha" form, a very special sencha from Uji, near Kyoto, this tea is very aromatic and is of the highest quality. From the moment you open the package, that special aroma lets you know you're in for a treat. Deep green in color, "Miyabi" is even higher quality than a previous great Uji sencha we used to carry, and we're sure you will love this tea. We originally found this wonderful tea on a product scouting mission in Japan and brought some back to offer our customers. It's been popular ever since.
Challenge: We urge you to compare this sencha against any of the others available on the internet for that nice grassy aroma and taste. Try some today!

Brewing Notes: As shincha can be very bold, brew this green tea for only about 1.5 minutes and at a perhaps even lower temperature than you would normally.

Leaf: The leaf has a very clear and clean smelling vegetal aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 4.86g, 6oz, 170 F, 60s

1st Infusion: This infusion had a very clear green color to it. The initial flavor at the front of the tongue was very sweet. This flavor was very short lived though and it had no aftertaste or astringency. The flavor was very soft with a hint of grassiness to it.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 10s, 175 F

2nd Infusion: This time the tea produced a murkier color, it was much more vibrantly green. The initial taste was very different. The flavor was not as upfront, but rather was a softer and grassier flavor. It felt richer and smoother, with a light sense of astringency on the back end. Where the first infusion was tasted primarily on the tip of the tongue, this infusion had almost no flavor there. There was much more flavor on the back of the tongue for this infusion.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 30s

3rd Infusion: This time the tea was clearer, but yet retained a radiant green color to it. The flavor was lighter, and yet was very sweet. There was a medium sense of astringency with the tea this time around.

Green Forest Fruits

Tea: Green Forest Fruits
Vendor: Dragonwater Tea
Price: $6.95 / 40z.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Green Forest Fruits Tea. Japanese green Sencha tea flavored with strawberry, raspberry, and rhubarb.

Leaf: The leaf has a very strong and sweet aroma to it. The aroma reminded me of the Paradise Green tea from Lupicia. The leaf appeared to contain an assortment of dried fruits / berries / flowers. It looks like a blend of green and black tea.

1st Infusion: The tea itself has a red colored infusion like a black tea, although the color is much lighter than a black tea normally is. The tea is very fruity in flavor. It is very floral and sweet. There is a very heavy floral aroma to it and it is very astringent.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a much fruitier flavor, but developed a bit of a bitterness to it. The tea is still very astringent, and it had hints of a soapy flavor to it.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: The flavor for this tea was very hard to find, and generally weak. The tea itself was rather unimpressive, and did not much live up to it's name. If you're looking for a flavored tea that has a big mixture of fruits and flavors out there, there are many other options.

Fukamushi Sencha Matsuri

Tea: Fukamushi Sencha Matsuri - 8003
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: The steaming process of this Sencha is 3 times longer than usual, producing the distinct, mellow, full-bodied taste. Especially recommended as iced tea.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is very small and very powdery. There are a few large leaf pieces, but the majority of the tea has been reduced to small pieces.

1st Infusion: The tea has a very murky green color to it. It produces as thick and heavy aroma. It is not a very overpowering aroma, but very noticeable, which is rare for a sencha. The flavor is very sweet and smooth. It has a very palatable thickness to it which matches the aroma. There is no astringency or bitterness, just the thick and heavy flavor.

2nd Infusion: The second infusion also had a very murky green color to it. It had the same aroma as the first infusion, and the same thick flavor. There was no bitterness or astringency to it, which was somewhat surprising since second infusions normally garner a bit of one of those two.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: While I had this tea originally when I first tried out a Lupicia tea, I was unimpressed by it. Now that I have more experience with trying different senchas, this tea seems more unique than I had originally thought. The flavor was surprisingly thick and rich, and the leaf shape did not detract from the tea at all. It still lacks any amazing qualities though, but lacks any major flaws. It is a fairly decent tea all around.

Return of regular posting coming soon

I should be posting more regularly soon. I apologize for the break, but IRL matters took precedence as well as moving into a new apartment. I have lots of tea to try out and plenty to write about. Look forward to it!

Fukamushi Sencha Supreme Shincha

Tea: Fukamushi Sencha Supreme Shincha
Vendor: O-cha
Price: $22.95 / 100g
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Fukamushi Sencha "Supreme" (Current stock is shincha) - A first rate, first flush green tea. Harvested from the first round of 2008 young spring leaves, this green tea comes from Shizuoka Prefecture. If you like an "intense" green tea, this is the tea for you. Very green and very thick. More astringent than most or our green teas, the taste of this fukamushi sencha remains on the palate for an extended time. As this is a very bold green tea, be sure to not brew too hot, for too long, or with too much leaf. As with all of our loose leaf green teas, freshly packaged in nitrogen filled bags.

Leaf Mass: 5.04g

Leaf: The leaf consisted of a lot of smaller pieces with a few larger leaves in it. This was somewhat expected of a fukamushi though, the small pieces tend to be characteristic of this kind of tea. The leaf seemed to have two main colors to it, a very dark rich green and a lighter paler green.

1st Infusion Parameters: 160 F, 6oz, 60s

1st Infusion: The liquor had a light yellow green color to it. It was slightly murky which seemed light for a fukamushi. Although it seemed about right for a first infusion. The flavor was very sweet and thick, it hinted at flavors of grains. There was definitely a strong grassy component to it. There was no astringency or bitterness, and the flavor tailed off into a long thick aftertaste. It had a kind of long flat flavor which brought to mind the thickness of the flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 175F, 10s

2nd Infusion: This infusion had the characteristic fukamushi dark murky green color. The infusion was very surprisingly dark though, moreso than most other fukamushi that I have tried. This infusion had a light bitterness to it, and the thickness to it was gone. The flavor was surprisingly light considering the appearance of it.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 60s

3rd Infusion: This was another very murky and dark green infusion. The flavor was again very light despite the long infusion time and warmer water. There was a light astringency to it, and it seems as though the flavor had started to let go already.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This tea had a very interesting flavor to it, the most interesting part was the first infusion with it's thick flavor and long aftertaste. I was a bit disappointed at the strength of the second and third infusions. Had I had more of this tea I could have experimented a bit more to try to unlock it's secrets, but alas I only had a small amount.

Felicitea Contest

I got sent an email regarding an interesting contest over at felicitea.com. They're trying to think of a good way to convert a coffee drinker to a tea lover with their "Coffee to Tea Conversion Contest". There are apparently two phases for this contest, the first being a 30-90 second video about tea being better than coffee, and the second is actually trying to convert lovers of the bean.

I'm interested to see what the entries are like. It's an unusual thought because this is asking the tea side to look to the coffee pangs inside themselves, and find something to relate to. Whatever this is would have to cross between the images and stereotypes of coffee and tea. Probably tie in with the pros/cons of tea and coffee.

For more details about the contest, read here.

Thanks to Summer at Felicitea for the heads up about this.

Vendor - Tea Gschwendner

I recently placed my first order to Tea Gschwendner (TG for short, I keep spelling Gschwendner wrong) and thought it appropriate to do a quick review on them.

TG is a tea company based out of Germany, although they do have a worldwide presence. They do have a pair of stores in Illinois, and a partner store in Michigan which sells their teas, but aside from that their presence in the US is internet based. They have locations in many other countries, but mostly in Germany. My experiences with them thus far have been all virtual.

TG carries a very wide variety of teas, ranging from high grade single estate Darjeelings to Herbals to Oolongs to Whites to Greens. They cover a wide variety of teas, but it would seem that the majority of their teas are black teas. Considering the company is from Germany this is not too surprising. Although what is surprising is how good their selection is while being so broad. At first you would think that they would be a jack of all trades company, dabbling in many areas, but not having very specific teas in any particular area. This does not seem to be the case, at least for what I looked at; Darjeelings and Japanese Greens. Their selection of Darjeelings was very impressive, they had a number of different grades of Darjeelings ranging from FOP to SFTGFOP 1. They also had a number of estate specific teas. Their Japanese Green selection also was somewhat varied, encompassing the main classes of Japanese green teas, as well as some lesser seen types and different grades.

They do offer a variety of sizes, 50g, 100g, and 250g. This is nice because it offers a nice price break for larger volumes. They also have a free shipping break at $35.00, which is fairly low and thereby nice for those who don't want to pay for shipping.

For my particular experience, I ordered a few cups and some genmaicha. They shipped the order in a very nicely packaged box, wrapping the fragile items with paper and bubble wrap, and filling the rest of the box with packing peanuts. If you are looking for a low packing material company though, there was a lot of packing to protect my items. My items took up about 1/10 th of the volume of the box if that. They also added the wrong packing list with my order, but that didn't really matter as my order did match what I did order.

Their tea is packaged in a double lined paper bag with a roll over top similar to those found on most bags of coffee. I was a bit disappointed to find that it was not a nitrogen flushed package, especially considering how much emphasis they place on their quality control on their website. Aside from that my interactions with their customer service were quite good, and the tea was good, but would have been helped if stored in nitrogen flush bags I believe.

I look forward to trying out other teas from them in the future.

Cold Brewing - Cold Water Brewing

As the weather grows warmer brewing iced tea is more and more common for me. I find that this particular method of brewing is both easy, convenient and tasty. I have only really used this method with Japanese green teas. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to use this with a few black teas. Gyokuro and Sencha are the ideal teas I use for this.

I normally use the standard amount of leaf for this method, ~1g. tea /1oz. water. If the tea used is a light flavored tea or if you prefer a stronger cup of tea I would suggest increasing the amount of tea upwards of 20%.

For the water for this any chilled water would be fine. I've tried this with anything from ice water to slightly chilled water. I have a preference for iced water, but often use water from a water cooler for convenience. The colder the water you use, you will need to increase infusion times and leaf slightly. Infusion is very temperature dependent so adjust to your preferences as you see fit.

My personal preference is to use ice water (0 C) with 1.2 g leaf / 1 oz. water. The infusion time that I normally use for the first infusion is around 90s, second is about 30s, and 60s for the third. Steep this tea how you would any other tea normally, although it does help to mix the pot slightly with the first infusion.

The first infusion should come out being almost crystal clear with just a light twinge of green in it. The flavor will be very light and crisp and very sweet. The sweetness is a very deep sweetness, but rich and flavorful at the same time. This does of course vary on a per tea basis, but it tends to be fairly consistent throughout the first infusions.

The second infusion will be richer in color as the tea leaves will have absorbed water and expanding by now. This is a very smooth and still sweet green tea flavor. The color will most likely be cloudier and darker green. This will be a flavor more akin to normal sencha infusion, but very smooth and rich.

The third infusion will be weaker as most of the time the tea will be almost done, this will be a light, yet flavorful infusion. It will be somewhat like a weak tea, but still cold and refreshing. The flavor will be very tasty.

As always though, play around with this method and find what suits you. I find this is very easy and convenient to do throughout the day at work.

Japan Genmaicha

Tea: Japan Genmaicha
Vendor: Tea Gschwendner
Price: $4.84 / 50g.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: A very popular Green tea blend in Japan, made by mixing roasted whole grain rice with fresh Sencha. Milder, and less strong in the cup than pure Sencha, it has a pleasant aroma of toasted rice.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was about what I would expect from a genmaicha. The leaf was matte in color with color variations throughout the leaf. There was the characteristic aroma of the puffed rice from the mix. The leaf was somewhat unimpressive in its size and shape from rolling. The leaf was more twisted and contorted than regular for sencha, and was not rolled into the fine needles like some senchas are.

1st Infusion: There was a normal light green color and the infusion was fairly transapernt. It had a very characteristic fresh crisp aroma from the puffed rice. It had a very clean fresh tang to it. The flavor was very smooth and sweet, there was no astringency or bitterness. The flavor was very crisp on the front of the tongue, and produced a very good and distinct genmai flavor.

2nd Infusion: This infusion produced a more yellow colored infusion. The flavor was more muddled and not nearly as crisp. The front of the tongue flavor was definitely duller. It had a very rich and full flavor this time, with a very full bodied flavor spreading throughout the mouth smoothly. There was no bitterness and a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: It was a bit disappointing how much the clean and crisp flavor of the first infusion disappeared with the second. The leaf had a bit of a disappointing appearance to it as well. It is to some degree to be expected of a genmaicha, but not necessarily the way it would have to be. As a genmaicha though, this was a very good contender.